Blogolution Update: Project #1

To date I have finished two of the projects for my spare room:

1. Purchase a bedskirt to cover up the bed's hideous frame and boxspring.

CHECK! I found a pretty white on white patterned bedskirt at Kmart. Simple enough, right?

Puh-lease! I have to add some drama somehow; how else will I keep you intrigued with my home improvement projects?

The day I bought the bedskirt it I put in in the dryer to tumble out the wrinkles. This is what I call the Momma B alternative to ironing. I can't remember my mom ever ironing; rather, she would tell us to tumble something in the dryer if we needed to get the wrinkles out. Now that I'm older I completely understand why my mother chose this option instead of ironing clothes for her family of eleven. Can you even imagine?

Anyhew, when I put the bedskirt in the dryer I did not realize that my adorable kiddo had messed with the dryer settings and put the heat on the 'high' setting. Oh, and then I forgot about it - so it tumbled for at least 40 minutes when I only meant to leave it in for about 15. Imagine my shock when I went to put it on the bed and discovered that the middle portion of the bedskirt was essentially melted together. Stupid polyester!

In retrospect, I didn't inspect the bedskirt close enough upon removing it from its original packaging to confirm whether my dryer was truly responsible for this damage or if it simply came from the store that way. Let's face it, I bought this bedskirt from Kmart, not Pottery Barn; we're not dealing with top quality bedding here. I probably could have marched back into the store and requested an exchange for the damaged product, but I didn't. I wasn't too keen on going all the way across town to Kmart again, and darnit I was excited about getting the bedskirt on the bed that very day!

Here's the clincher: I didn't want Justin to see the disfigured bedskirt and demand that I take it back since it was damaged. Why? Because then I would have to admit that I wasn't sure if I had melted it in the dryer or not. This admission of guilt would most certainly lead to Justin's rendition of Dryer Fire Prevention 101, and I simply did not have the time or energy for that course.

Nope, I was on my own with this one.

So while my husband sat obliviously peaceful in the living room, little old me hoisted the king size mattress off the bed all by myself and propped it against the wall. Then I attempted to stretch the bedskirt back to its original shape without tearing it - not a small feat, let me assure you. I got it as centered as I could, tossed the mattress back onto the boxspring just so, and proceeded to stretch the bedskirt once again, using the weight of the mattress to help hold it in place.

Tug, tug, tug on this side.

Whoops, that pulled it up on the other side.

Go to the other side of the bed. Tug, tug, tug on that side.

You get the picture.

It took me awhile, but I did it. And it looks great! (Please don't ask me what the center of the bedskirt will look like when I pull that mattress off cuz I don't want to know, but I imagine all my tugging left a gaping hole or two.)

Anyway, moving on...

2. Finish my task board to hang above my craft desk.

CHECK! I got this mirror for free from a friend of mine. I knew I wanted to use it in my spare room, but I also knew I needed it to be more functional than just a simple mirror.

Here it is before:

First I tried my hand at a crackle effect with white paint, but it didn't really crackle (I don't think I used enough medium). So I dry-brushed over that in white, leaving a distressed look with a crackle here and there. Then I used some distress ink around the edges for a little more weathered look before spraying it with an acrylic clear coat.

Then I took some small metal panels I purchased at Home Depot (in the roofing supply aisle) and hot-glued them to the mirrored sections. They fit almost perfectly with two panels to each mirror so I didn't have to cut them to size.


Then I selected some craft paper and glued it to the metal panels.

Voila!

On a side note: the wall color in the spare room is called Fleeting Green. I love the color and I have no intention of changing that as part of the spare room makeover, but my photography does not do this paint color justice. In real life there is a nice contrast between the Fleeting Green wall color and the white accents I am adding to the room (like this task board).

Here is a close up.

Is that not the cutest kiddo ever?!

The magnets were easy peasy. I picked up some decorative scrapbooking brads at Hobby Lobby last weekend and simply hot-glued small magnets to the backs.

And thats how its done! Now I have a great magnetic task board that accentuates the room decor and has great functionality for displaying a few photos of my boys, as well as my various notes to myself on craft ideas and needed supplies.

And just so you know I'm still making progress, last night I spent some time in the basement stripping down my vintage suitcases, spray-painting a few accent pieces, and testing my skills for the first time with my Valspars Antiquing Glaze.

Golly am I having fun!

Ten on Tuesday

1. I love 4 day work weeks!

2. Look Ma, I can cook! I posted this New Year's resolution two years ago, confessing my inability to cook and desperate desire to learn before my kiddo arrived. Two years later I'm making a killer potato soup from scratch, to be served in bread bowls also made my moi. Well, moi and the bread machine to be exact - but Mr. Bread Machine was on kneading duty only. I did the rest myself.

So you see, some New Year's resolutions actually do stick.


3. Due to Kendry's recent teething and sickness I haven't posted a good picture of him in awhile. Correction: I haven't been able to TAKE a good picture of him in awhile. In case you were starting to forget what he looks like, here you go! He is mostly back to his regular spunky self.

4. Are you wondering why my kiddo has barely any hair? Well, this is what happens when Daddy and Kendry are left to their own devices for an evening, and Daddy thinks using a 2 setting on the hair clippers doesn't seem all that short...until he does the first swipe through Kendry's hair.

Truth be told, I'm just thankful my hubby took the initiative to do Kendry's haircut himself. And we like short hair around these parts. There will be no Bieber Fever hairstyles in my house, no sir!

5. I visited a Hobby Lobby store for the very first time this weekend. Awe-(wait for it)-some!

6. Check back tomorrow for my Blogolution 2011 update; I have a fun project to share.

7. Kendry is becoming quite the chatterbox, and he repeats everything! But put him in front of the camera and he clams up.

8. Seahawks? Yeah, let's not talk about that.

9. Am I the only one itchin for the yard sale season to start?

10. This Week's Blessing(s): Visiting Justin's sister and her family in Spokane over the weekend, and then spending my Monday holiday with my little man.

My Blogolution 2011 (Part III) & Project #1

Sorry for being a day late on this post. Somewhere between the kiddo throwing up at daycare on Monday, staying home with him on Tuesday combating his nasty stomach bug, and then worrying that Justin or I would come down with it next, I sorta lost my blog mojo. Hence the no Ten on Tuesday this week.

But the kiddo felt better yesterday and I was in bed by 9pm last night to help give my immune system an extra boost, just in case. What did we do before Tylenol PM?

Today I woke up at 5am feeling rested and in great spirits, and I even hit the gym.

Now the Jo-Jo Mojo is back!
(Ha! I crack myself up.)

Alright, I'll try to focus now.

Where were we? Oh, yes - taking on the challenge that is making my house into a place we can love.

But there are certain conditions for this challenge.

1. MONEY (or the lack thereof)

I have to stay frugally minded. We are still working on what Justin and I fondly refer to as our "Baby Bill" (aka fertility treatments fund), and assuming our next IVF cycle is a success, we will also need to cushion our savings account in preparation for maternity leave. This means I will have to tap into my creative side and do a lot of decorating with what I already have. But thats where I'm fairly prepared. Look at these gems I have in my basement, just waiting for me and a gallon of pretty paint.

And while we're on the subject of frugality, I want to emphasize that most of these projects will not be major renovations. Rather, I'm focusing more on the cosmetic aspects. For instance, our entire house has wood paneled walls and square paneled ceilings. While we would love to drywall and texture everything, that is simply not in the budget right now.

Some projects will be simple touches like adding a new decorative throw pillow or re-arranging the furniture layout in a room. Others might require a little more elbow grease like a wee bit of tiling, re-finishing pieces of furniture, and the much-dreaded task of changing the wax rings on our toilets. Ewwww, right? But its gotta be done.

The only exception to this might be our master bedroom, for which we have great plans. At this point I simply cannot justify doing anything that is not a clear step toward my dream master bedroom. And, considering that the true first step for that bedroom is completely gutting it and scraping off the glittered popcorn ceiling, I just might save that room for last - thus allowing us to save up the cash we still need for that project.


2. DEADLINE

I'm not sure it is reasonable to give myself a deadline since home improvement projects can be so unpredictable; not to mention that with limited funding I might have to pause from time to time to save up for more supplies. However, since we are hoping to welcome a new member to our family next fall I think that is as good a deadline as any. And really, how much do I think I will be accomplishing on my house after the arrival of a new baby?

I will, however, be making myself go room by room - meaning I need to finish one before moving on to another. Dividing the projects in this way will also help to keep me from feeling overwhelmed about my house as a whole.

3. ACCOUNTABILITY

I have to be accountable to someone and provide regular updates on my progress or I will never feel the push to get these projects done. This is where you come in! As we all know, resolutions tend to fall by the wayside when there is no accountability. And what better way for me to hold myself accountable than posting it here for your viewing? I will also be looking for your advice and suggestions along the way as I do not consider home decor and staging to be some of my strengths. We have lived in this house for four years and I'm only just now getting my booty in gear with the actual decor - that should give you some indication of my decorating skills, or more accurately the lack thereof.

Are those enough conditions for you? Yeah, me too. And by now you're probably thinking "Alright already, Jody. Less talk. More action!"

So let's get started!

Project #1: Spare room

The primary pieces of furniture in this room are a king size bed for our guests and my adorable crafting/sewing desk. The entire closet is filled with my craft and sewing supplies. I like to think that when we don't have guests visiting this room belongs to only me. Its where I escape to be creative. Thus, my decor for this room is fairly feminine. Think: Afternoon Tea in the Garden.

What do I love about this room?

1. The lighting. This room has two large windows on the east and south walls, so it gets great daylight most of the day.

2. My craft desk.

3. These garden spade hooks I found at Joanns.

4. The bright patchwork quilt I found on Overstock last year.

6. This teacup and saucer, which belonged to my Grandma Binder. I love, love, love that these serve as my main inspiration for this room.

What do I dislike about this room?

1. The door that leads directly outside. We think this room was intended to be a home office once upon a time. Our long term plan is to enclose our carport and make this exterior door into an interior door, leading out into my new supercool carport turned utility/wash room.

2. The ancient windows. But that project is for another day, when we can afford all new windows.

3. The totally blah ceiling fan. My mother-in-law recently told me she has laid in bed in our spare room wondering if the fan would come crashing down if she turned it on. (Mikki, if you are reading this, rest assured I didn't take offense to this at all. I have disliked this fan for ages; your comment just gave me the excuse I needed to rip it down and buy my first beautiful mini chandelier.) Shhhh! Don't anyone tell my hubby I'm buying a chandelier for a bedroom or he will most certainly oppose it. I'm not even sure the word 'chandelier' is in his vocabulary.

Here are some general pics of the room so you can get the overall effect of what I have going so far.

And now, because I'm a total list-maker, here is my project list:

-finish the magnetic taskboard which will hang above my desk

-replace the yucky cheapo bedroom door with a pretty new white one (w/ new hardware)

-patch up missing baseboard behind the bed

-replace the dirty ivory switchplates and outlet covers w/ pretty white ones

-new window treatments (I still have NO idea what to do here)

-re-do throw pillows

-buy a bedskirt (Aren't these the yuckiest bed frame legs you have ever seen? It looks like we're trying to suction the bed to the floor or something.)

-use stacked vintage suitcases purchased from a yard sale to replace this bedside table (The table itself is great but it just doesn't fit in this room; plus, the suitcases will give me great storage.)

-re-finish an old piano bench to place beneath the south window (extra seating and storage)

-antique glaze my craft desk because, as much as I love it, it looks a little too clean right now

-replace the hardware on the cabinet doors above the closet

-rip down the blah ceiling fan and replace it with an oh-so-pretty mini chandelier

-cleverly hide the exterior door (I have it currently hidden behind some curtains, but I'm thinking a cool room divider or vintage wooden door would be better)

-hang a cool vintage mirror on the same wall as the closet

Wow. Actually writing it down makes it look like a lot of work. But, truth be told, I've already started on a few tasks AND I've got a three day weekend ahead of me. Bring it on!

Got any tips/advice for me and my spare room? Please share!

My Blogolution 2011 (Part II)

VIEWERS BE ADVISED:

The images of my home contained in this post are not pretty. Please proceed with caution.

(And be kind in your inevitable judgment of us.)

So what is my Blogolution 2011?I’m selling my house...

…to me!

And YOU are going to help me do it.

Allow me to clarify this statement for you:

Last month I read this post on Miss Mustard Seed’s blog and came away feeling so inspired. Here is this amazing woman (Miss Mustard Seed herself) showing me that even her beautiful home has a dated bathroom and walls in need of repair. Okay, maybe she only admitted to one wall - or was it just one tiny patch on one single wall? Regardless, it immediately brought to mind the four (count them: 1, 2, 3, 4!) gaping spots on four different walls in my house that remain after we had our baseboard heaters removed and our central air installed. Dare I admit how long ago that was? Yes. Because in brainstorming my Blogolution I knew I needed to be brutally honest with you about my house, otherwise the entire purpose would be lost.

Our central air was installed a whopping 16 months ago. That is plenty of time for us to install new baseboard, no? And yet, the gaping spots remain:
See, I told you I wasn’t holding back. I don’t have Photoshop (thus the stick figure drawings in the first Blogolution post) so rest assured these photos have not been doctored in any way.

YIKES!!

 

{On a side note, you should know I'm quite proud of my cute little drawings in the preceding Blogolution post, even if they aren't quite to scale.

The heads are way too big, I'm certain I was a little more busty in my pre-baby days than my stick figure actually shows, and - most notably - did you see how much hair I gave Justin?!}

But moving on...

...in a nutshell, Miss Mustard Seed’s post discussed the need to walk around your house from time to time and view it through the eyes of a potential buyer.

Let's try that, shall we? If I were to put my house on the market tomorrow, what would a potential buyer think of this?

And this?

And this?

No, this bathroom door was not damaged in someone's desperate attempt to use the facilities - or maybe it was. The door actually looked like this when we moved in. I'm not sure which is worse: the fact that the prior owners did this kind of damage to a bathroom door (makes ya wonder, doesn't it?), or the fact that we've left it this way for 4 years?

Now its not like we have sat around our house doing nothing for the last four years. But our primary home improvements have been on the larger scale - installing central air, re-doing our entire yard and installing a sprinkler system, painting the exterior of the house, and installing new rain gutters. These are all justified projects (and you couldn't pay me to live without my central air again); but as a result, a lot of little cosmetic projects have gone untouched.

Case in point: I finally got around to painting my laundry area a beautiful Sherwin Williams Dutch Tile Blue last spring, except I have yet to even finish the trim. In the grand scheme of things a little unpainted trim is no big deal; but like Miss Mustard Seed says, when you walk past these imperfections twenty times a day they can become invisible to you. Before you know it, its been a year and the painting tape is still on the wall.

Something tells me its going to be a real bugger pulling that stuff off.

Here is her advice:

"As we're approaching the new year when people want to refresh their space, a good place to start is to "put your house on the market." Walk around and look at your home the way a stager or realtor would. Don't look at the huge renovations you want to do, but look at the small things you would take care of if you were selling your home. What small repairs need to be made? What rooms need to be decluttered and organized? What furniture arrangements aren't working? How you can make your home look more inviting?

Take time to finish the projects on that list. Don't wait until you have to sell to do them. {Why does a buyer deserve a better home than you do?} Why let someone else enjoy the fruits of your labor? And why not live in a home that is living up to its fullest potential?"(emphasis added)

With Miss Mustard Seed's suggestions in mind, I really started thinking:

I like my house; I do not love my house. Why is that?

Thanks to infertility, and the economy, what we once thought was our 5 year house is destined to be more like our 10 year house, at least. Do I really want to live in a house I don't love for 10 years? No way, Jose!

SOLUTION: Find a way to start loving my house...and do it fast! (preferably before we have another kiddo underfoot)

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I will post details/photos of my first project on Wednesday, so get ready to share your home improvement and decor advice with me. I'm all ears!

"All I Want For Christmas Are My Four Canine Teeth"

{Yes, I am finally getting around to posting about our Christmas.}

Kendry got his first present from Nana and Grandpa a few days before Christmas: his first train set!

On the morning of December 23rd Justin and Kendry packed up the car, then they picked me up at work around noon and we were off.

Kendry handled the 3.5 drive a lot better this time than he did Thanksgiving; he was asleep within twenty minutes. Hooray!

That night we attended the Quincy High School Alumni Basketball Game (Justin played), where Kendry got to run off all the energy pent up during the drive, and mommy chased after him. The silver lining is that I burned off enough calories that night to justify all my Christmas eating.

Christmas Eve Day was spent relaxing and doing a little food prep for that evening and Christmas Day. We noticed Kendry getting a wee bit grumpy, but figured he was just tired and a bit out of his element.

Justin and the three cousins.

That evening we enjoyed dinner with Justin's family before the three of us headed over to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church. Kendry entertained the people sitting around us by delaring "All done!" after the singing portion of the service ended, and "Uh-oh!" when the overhead lights were dimmed for the candlelight portion.

Then we returned home, where Kendry got to open his Christmas Eve gift: pajamas!

When I was a little girl we got to open one Christmas gift on Christmas Eve - a tradition that ended the year my brother found his primary gift (a Gameboy) and opened it on Christmas Eve before my mom realized what he was doing. Assuming my plan works and Kendry's one gift on Christmas Eve is solely his Christmas jammies, I won't have to worry about this sort of mishap.

Kendry wore this expression for most of the weekend, thanks to some serious teething.

The jammies fit perfectly!


Kendry and Ava ready for bed in their Christmas jammies.

With the kiddos finally in bed, the adults enjoyed a game night.

And then...

the storm hit!

Kendry refused to sleep longer than a 1.5 hour stretch and kept waking up crying. After several hours of this, and afraid that he would eventually roust everyone else in the house, he and I moved out to the living room around 3am, and thus began our first all-nighter together.

I proceeded to watch A Christmas Story (the leg lamp movie) nearly two times back to back while Kendry alternated between sleeping in my arms and fussing inconsolably. Every time I tried to put him back in his crib the battle would start all over again.

Soon we were joined by Justin's sister Amanda and her daughter Ava, who was also having sleeping issues, and my mother-in-law, who was recovering from surgery.

I'm certain we were the most festive group you could find awake at 3:30am on Christmas morning.

Eventually everyone else headed back to their beds, and around 6am Kendry fell into his deepest sleep of the night (which isn't saying much).

When Justin took this photo around 7am I was so exhausted I could have cried.
And the feeling of my baby boy sleeping in my arms, something he hasn't done in ages, only moved me closer to tears. How many more times will he let me rock him to sleep like this?

By 9am everyone else in the house was awake and we were ready for presents. Its a shame my mother wasn't there to see Kendry put on his "happy face" even though he was feeling miserable. Momma B would have been proud!

Kendry loved the matchbox cars from his stocking.


And his cool rubber boots!

Haven't we seen this expression before?

Behold,

the TONKA TRUCK!

He started pushing it around like this before it was even out of the box.

We attempted to get a good photo of the three kiddos together. This was the best one I got.

Doesn't it look like they are singing together?

And then it was time for the annual Gimlin Boys photo.

It really was a beautiful Christmas, and quite relaxing when we weren't trying to soothe our miserable kiddo. I am assured this will make for a memorable Christmas story someday.